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January 8, 2013 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Problem. Solved.  How a change of scenery helped saved a Canadian company Bad timing plagued Picomole Instruments in 2008, as the company's announcement of its portable breath-analysis device coincided with the beginning of the financial crisis. In response, John Cormier, who started the company, moved the business twice, eventually landing in his hometown of Moncton, New Brunswick. The move proved successful, and the company recently got a U.S. patent for its product. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (tiered subscription model) (1/4)       Marketing  5 ways to put content creation on your employees' agenda If your employees aren't interested in creating content to help with your marketing efforts, it's important to show them how doing so can benefit them at the same time as they're helping the business, John Paul Nettles writes. You should also provide them with some training, allow them to let their personalities shine through in their writing, and reward those who embrace the task and excel at it. RepCapitalMedia.com (1/7)       What not to do in your next marketing campaign As you work on your marketing efforts, you should analyze past performance, stick to a simple strategy and avoid copying your competitors, Stephanie Faris writes. "Instead of trying to keep up with the Joneses, tailor your marketing campaign to your customers," she writes. Intuit Small Business Blog (1/4)       Management  How to lay the foundation for a brilliant brainstorming session You can help get your team's creative juices flowing during a brainstorming session by getting out of the office, Aaron Aders of Slingshot SEO writes. "I have generated many more ideas over a pool table than a boardroom table," he writes. Identify a central focus for your brainstorming sessions and focus on generating ideas instead of developing plans, he writes. Inc. online (free registration)/SEO Heroes blog (1/2)       Does your company culture need a reboot? You can improve your company's culture by setting a clear vision for your operations, according to David Vik, author of "The Culture Secret: Five Steps To Creating Your Own Company Culture." Also, make sure your business model aligns with customers' needs, and identify your company's values. BusinessNewsDaily.com (1/2)       Money  3 tax tips for companies that used contractors in 2012 Any contractors or freelancers that you worked with throughout the year might need to receive forms to be filed with the IRS, Jonathan Blum and Alex Dalenberg write. You will need to have updated information about the contractors you have worked with and the amount you have paid each one. Entrepreneur online/The Daily Dose blog (1/4)       Business credit cards come with perks Business credit cards aren't covered by the credit card reform law from a few years ago, but they might offer some attractive perks. Among other benefits, users might be able to gain access to signup bonuses, travel rewards or cash-back offers. Resource Nation blog (1/7)       Tips & Tools  Your competitors' social media spend might surprise you Some small businesses are spending in excess of $100,000 on social media, although the median expense is $1,000 to $2,499 annually, according to data gathered by the SMB Group. If you want to become active on social media, it's important to develop a strategy and put at least some money where your mouth is, Anita Campbell writes. "It's not bad to spend -- just bad to spend unwisely," she writes. Small Business Trends (1/3)       Savvy-user tips for Google Calendar A number of neat tricks can help you to make the most of Google Calendar, Elsa Wenzel writes. For example, you can hide weekend days or use keyboard shortcuts to use your calendar more efficiently. You can also instruct your calendar to stop displaying events that you won't be attending. PCWorld (1/2)       Microsoft's SkyDrive allows you to access files from a remote PC CBS MoneyWatch (1/4)       The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) BloomNet Floriology Institute Announces 2013 Design Course Schedule Interested in learning more about advertising with SmartBrief? Click here for detailed industry information and media kits.  Just for Fun  The strangest stuff employees attempted to expense in 2012 Some rather unusual items find their way onto company expense reports from time to time. Some of the stranger items that employees tried to expense in 2012 include deer urine, a baby giraffe and kitschy lawn ornaments. Bloomberg Businessweek (1/4)       SmartQuote  No matter how many status updates or print ads you publish, if your business projects a poor image, you’re wasting your time and money." --Stephanie Faris, writing at the Intuit Small Business Blog       SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! Accounting Advertising Automotive Aviation & Aerospace Biotechnology Business Chemicals Construction & Real Estate Consumer Packaged Goods Distribution Education Energy Finance Food Service Health Care Insurance Legal Manufacturing Media & Entertainment Nonprofit Retail Technology Telecommunications Travel & Hospitality     John Jantsch, Editor at Large John Jantsch is author of "Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide" and "The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself." John is a marketing and digital technology coach and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing small-business marketing system.   Subscriber Tools SIGNUP   SEND FEEDBACK   E-MAIL THIS BRIEF Today's Brief - Permalink | Print friendly format | Web version | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Director:  Tom O'Brien (212) 450-1679 Download Media Kit   SmartBrief Community: Most Clicked Facebook Twitter Publish your Press Release LinkedIn Get this RSS Feed Search Archive About Download a SmartBrief Mobile app today     Recent SmartBrief on Small Business Issues: Monday, January 07, 2013 Friday, January 04, 2013 Thursday, January 03, 2013 Wednesday, January 02, 2013 Monday, December 31, 2012     Lead Editor:  Brooke Howell Editor at Large: John Jantsch       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004     © 1999-2013 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information